Shingle



J. A. M CARTHY- snmeLa Filed Dec. 3, 1926 Jane 1932.

Patented Jan. 26, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN A. MCCARTHY, OF ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE PATENT AND LICENSING CORPORATION, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A

CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS surname Application filed December 3, 1926. Serial No. 152,396.

My invention relates to roofing material, and more particularly to the form of shingles cut from a sheet of material.

' The purpose of my invention is to provide a shingle having improved features of interlocking, restraint of corners, economy of surfaces, facility of alignment and installation and attractiveness of assembled design, and that nevertheless can be cut from a sheet without wastage.

In accomplishing my purpose I provide a shingle of which a maximum amount of area functions and a minimum of material is required; one means thereto being the design through which the portions constituting extensions and locking mediums are cut from adjacent parts of adjacent shingles in the sheet, the cutout portions of said adjacent sheets being adapted to lie on the roof in positions where the absence of roof material is not undesirable. Thus I improve on the present art wherein the accomplishment of one object, such as the rovision of locking means, frequently sacri ces a factor, such as economy of material in cutting or use.

The preferred forms of my invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but I wish to call attention to the facility of my invention for adaptation to other designs than shown, for variety of attractive appearance.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a roof partly covered with shingles embodying my invention, a part of one shingle being broken away to indicate the position of adjacent upper side edges of laid shingles.

Fig. 2 represents ashingle cut in my preferred form.

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of a. roll of sheet material, indicating the method of cutting out my preferred form of shingle.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

1 designates the body portion of a shingle, the body portion having a weather end 2 and trapezoidal shaped wings 3 and 4 extending laterally from the body, the shoulders formed by such extensions being designated by 3 and 4', which are the diagonals of the trapezoidal shaped wings; a wing having a width on the weather ends as will later be explained. The cutting away of the upper outer corners of the win 5 to provide said recesses, reduces the lengt 1 of the outer vertical edges of the wings, the remaining functional vertical edges being indicated by 9 and 10. Similarly the provision of the tabs on the weather end reduces the length of the vertical edges of said weather end, the remaining vertical-portions of said weather endbeing designated on the drawings by the numerals 11 and 12. The vertical side edges 9 and 10 of the wings and the vertical side edges 11 and 12 of the weather ends are of. equal length. It is apparent, therefore, that a shingle so constructed is dividable longitudinally to disclose symmetrical halves. On the line of its longitudinal bisector the shingle, in the upper edge 13, is provided with a slit 14: for a purpose to be mentioned.

4 The result of this construction is economical adaptation to the process of cutting a shingle from a sheet of material as indicated in Fig. 3, where a single transverse meandering impression on the sheet outlines one side of each of two adjoining shingles; the two said shingles being, however, reversely positioned, so that the wing of one shingle is adjacent the weather end of the other shingle and a wing of the latter is contiguous to the weather end of the former.

The drawings disclose the manner in which by this construction the production of the tabs results in the formation of the recesses. The figures also disclose the economy of manufacture since no parts of the material are cut away as waste in providing recesses as sockets for lock members; and the production of members to constitute flanges, tabs, flaps or locks, is accomplished Without waste of ma- "terial, since the projections are positioned in areas of the material included in the design of other shingles. An incidental economy in manufacture is disclosed also in Fig. 3 where the slits in alternate layers of shingles are impressed by one operation and indicated by numeral 15. The tabs have horizontal edges comprising shoulders 16 and laterally extending points 17 into which equilateral upper and lower taper sides or edges 18 and 19 converge, the upper side 18 of a tab being adapted to lie parallel to the vertical side of the weather end of a laid shingle when the overlying shingle is in position for insertin the tab under the weather end of said laid shingle.

The special features of the device are disclosed in the result of laying one course upon another. The slit 14 marking the median line of a shingle, and the symmetrical character of the halves of the shingle as bisected by the median line, constitute factors for expeditious' and accurate placement of the shingles. Supposing first course laid along the lower edge of the roof consisting of shingles alternately reversed with complementary sides closely adjacent, a second course is laid with shingles in normal position and body portions contacting through their vertical side edge portions. The tab of a shingle is projected under that section of a weather end of a laid shingle bounded by a vertical side edge, the shingle is held aslant and the opposite tab on said shingle is inserted under the weather end portion of the adjacent laid shingle. The shingle is then given its permanent position with its vertical lines parallel with the vertical lines of laid shingles, the slit 14 in the adjacent shingles on each side being a guide to such positioning; and the tabs being looked under these adjacent shingles, whereby the lower corners of the shingle are retained permanently from displacement, and the lower edge of the shingle is anchored. The tabs of shingles such as A and B, Fig. 1, of succeeding courses will be latched under Previously laid shingles, such as shingle C, and a superposed shingle D is installed by inserting its left hand tab under the weather end side edge 12 of shingle A, engaging the tab with theshoulder 4 of shin 1e A to provide maximum pivoting range. or the opposite tab 6 with reference to the opposite edge 11 of shingle B, lifting the edge 11 of shingle B and pivoting shingle D to cause its right hand tab 6 to pass under said edge 11 for engaging the shoulder 3 of shingle B, with the shoulder 16 of the tab seated in the obtuse meeting angle of said shoulder 3 and edge 11. The tab 6 of shingle D could not enter under said edge 11 of latched shingle B without bowing shingle D if the edge 18 of the tab were not particularly adapted to permit such movement, and the shaping of the tab to permit its edge 18 to lie parallel with the edge 11 for installing shingle D provides for a maximum extent of the tab and also for the shoulder 16 to engage the slanting abutment or shoulder of the shingip B. It is apparent that if shingles are to installed by the process described, the length and shape of the left hand tab 5 are immaterial although I preferably provide the shingles with similar tabs so that the shingles may be laid from left to right or right to left, as desired.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A shingle having the general shape of a keystone; and having an upper portion with short vertical side edges, and a lower portion with short vertical side edges the middle portion between having diagonal side edges flared more than the taper of the shingle as a whole, to compensate for the vertical portions; the contour of the shingle side above the center line being a reversed duplicate of that below, whereby the shingles can be cut from a continuous strip without any waste; notches in the extreme upper corners of the shingle and locking tabs at the extreme lower corners, said notches leaving the necessary material to form said tabs; said lower vertical portions determining the vertical spacing between successive rows of shingles on the completed roof, and being such that no area of the finished roof will be covered by less than two thicknesses of material.

2. A shingle having a general shape of a keystone; and having an upper portion with short vertical side edges, and a lower portion with short vertical side edges; the middle portion between having diagonal side edges flared more than the taper of the shingle as a whole, to compensate for the vertical portions; the contour of the shingle side above the center line being a reversed duplicate of that below, whereby the shingles can be cut from a continuous strip without any waste; notches in the extreme upper corners of the shingle and locking tabs at the extreme lower corners, said notches leaving the necessary material to form said tabs; said lower side edges being approximately one-third the height of the entire shingle.

3. A shingle having the general shape of a keystone; and having an upper portion with vertical side edges, and a lower portion with vertical side edges; the middle portion between having diagonal side edges flared more than the taper of the shingle as a whole, to compensate for the vertical portions; the contour of the shingle side above the center line being a reversed duplicate of that below, whereby the shingles can be cut from a continuous strip without any waste; notches in the extreme upper corners of the shingle and lockin tabs at the extreme lower corners,

said notches leaving the necessary material to form said tabs; said lower vertical side edges determining the vertical spacing between successive rows of shingles on the completed roof, and being substantially one-third of a distance equal to the vertical dimension of the shingle minus the vertical dimension of said notches.

4. A shingle having the general shape of a keystone; and having an upper portion with vertical side edges, and a lower portion with vertical side edges; the middle portion between having diagonal side edges flared more than the taper of the shingle as a whole, to compensate for the vertical portions; the contour of the shingle side above the center line being a reversed duplicate of that below, whereby the shingles can be cut from a continuous strip without any waste; notches in the extreme upper corners of the shingle and locking tabs at the extreme lower corners, said notches leaving the necessary material to form said tabs; said lower vertical side edges determining the vertical spacing between success five rows of shingles on the completed roo lln testimony whereof l" aflix my signature.

JOHN A. MCCARTHY. 

